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The Rapides Parish early childhood education system could serve 80 more students next year through a federal grant.

Louisiana is one of 13 states chosen to receive $32 million in grant funds to expand access to quality early childhood education over four years. Five other states are to receive funds to increase services.

First-year funding of about $2.2 million will increase the available slots and training of teachers in six high-need communities, including Rapides Parish.

Statewide the funds will open up 340 new seats for children currently not being served — 80 new seats in Rapides the first year “with the opportunity to apply for more in years 2 to 4 if there is a great need in our community,” said Cindy Rushing, the Rapides Parish school district’s early childhood education coordinator.

“At this point we don't know where the slots will be located,” Rushing said. “That planning will be done in the coming weeks.”

Rushing and her team have 90 days to outline a plan and budget for the funds. It is a collaborative effort between public pre-K, childcare and Head Start — federally funded early childhood education. She expects to determine placement based on need of at-risk families in the area as well as other protocol that could come from the state or federal governments.

Rapides was among districts chosen for the grant because it needed it. The parish offers about 1,500 slots for pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds between public schools, Head Start centers and child care centers. The public schools serve more 4-year-olds than 3, of which Head Starts sees more.

“We have a waiting list every year,” Rushing said. “There are children we can’t serve every year. This will help alleviate that.”

Despite the offerings, about 500 students enter kindergarten unprepared each year, she said. Looking statewide, 54 percent of Louisiana students aren’t ready for kindergarten, a statistic that helped fuel the statewide push to improve early childhood education, she said.

Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White said the money would be targeted to cities or parishes that have the most need but also have worked the hardest to establish a system to improve pre-K 4.

The Community Network Pilot, a program was started by the state in 2012 to create a unified early childhood education system. It would include a common child assessment, common evaluation and standards for education from birth to 5 years old.

It will provide parents a coordinated enrollment with a common application or “one-stop shop” to enroll children, which Rushing hopes to implement locally in the spring.

“We’ve worked really hard in the last year to get ready for what’s coming,” Rushing said. “We firmly believe that early childhood is where you get the biggest return for investment.”

Rapides’ partnership with Head Start is extending to combined classrooms that should be running in January. The start date was delayed due to paperwork issues, Rushing said.

Six public schools in the parish will provide classrooms for Head Start staff and 120 students. Some schools also will provide teachers. About 150 more students will be dually enrolled in Rapides pre-K and Head Start.

Rushing said a third reason Rapides received the grant is that the district was named a high-risk community in a 2012 study by LSU/Tulane study on early childhood risk and reach.